Eco-disaster is inevitable if we import trees

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The loss of ash trees to “dieback” would be a tragedy. It is the fourth most common of Britain’s native broadleaves and the most ubiquitous — happy to grow almost anywhere there’s plenty of space. Its timber is valued, too, for its fine white grain and its flexible, steely strength — the natural choice for chairs and oars (and snooker cues).

Even worse is what such a loss would portend: we are creating a world where such epidemics are bound to become more common. A whole Pandora’s box of pests is waiting in the wings, with oak, hawthorn, holly and others in